


Cost of the Crown

by Celestial_Evolution



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26534653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestial_Evolution/pseuds/Celestial_Evolution
Summary: Love meant work, compromise, collaboration. For Amelia, no victory was too meager, and no price too steep. She'd pay whatever cost she must for Alrick... and pay very dearly, she would.
Relationships: Amelia Hughes/Alrick Timmens
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Cost of the Crown

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note that there is a song by the same name as the title, but I didn't remember that until after the fact, so they are unrelated! Just didn't want anyone to look for hidden meanings if they were familiar with it, heh. Regardless, feel free to drop any critique or comments you have at the end!

Where some might say "stubborn," Amelia said "determined." She'd argued with a teacher in primary school, once, for an hour straight when he wouldn't admit to a wrong mark on her exam. Then, in her first term of university, she signed up for every extracurricular she could, and wouldn't back down from any no matter how hectic her schedule became (and how thoroughly Alrick told her off for it). And if the working world thought it would be spared from her persistence, well, her boss had already learned that if Amelia wanted to talk about a raise, they were going to talk about a raise.

But sometimes – only sometimes – being stubborn _determined_ had its downsides. Not necessarily regrets; After all, when she had seen the flier hanging in the post office, and remembered the date coming up, of course there was only one thing for her to do. Even if it left her feeling ill the whole cab ride home. Horribly. Enough that the driver kept giving her the most exceptionally concerned looks.

Okay. Maybe she had _a few_ regrets.

To her credit, she made it back to their apartment without incident. Up the stairs, even. Into what some might mistake for a very large box but was, in fact, a very small apartment with an entire three rooms to its name. Four if you counted the walk-in closet – well, as in you could technically take a step in if you didn't mind hitting your head on the shelf immediately. There, Amelia tucked her hard-earned prize, and promptly stumbled to the kitchen for one of her acid pills.

Attempted to, anyone. Collapsing on the couch, she decided, was surely close enough. Which wasn't to say she completely gave up. No, she glared in the direction of the cabinets and willed a pill her way. Unfortunately for her, the laws of physics conspired intently to keep the cabinets doors closed, and the medicine basket unmoved even so much as a shimmy. So instead, she opted for Plan B: curling up with a makeshift cushion nest, shoes haphazardly kicked in some direction or another, trying her very utmost to sleep it off.

Alrick found her some time later, still in that position, still very much awake. She barely glanced up when the door clicked shut behind him, letting her head fall back onto the arm of the couch. "Welcome back," she said, not forcing near as much cheer into her voice as she'd aimed to, and punctuated with a sighing yawn. She could just hear Alrick dropping his bags over it, before he was beside her. His palm brushed across her forehead. Checking for a fever, she assumed.

"Amelia" he said, concern in every word, "all you all right? You're pale – here, I'll go ahead and call the doctor-"

"Don't,' she told him, lightly waving him away. "I'll be fine here in a bit, I promise"

Amelia opened one eye, enough to see the thin frown and furrowed brow of a man who wasn't buying it at all. You're sure?"

"Positive."

"What happened, then?"

Alrick moved his hand down to her shoulder and patted lightly, and Amelia let her eyelids drop shut once more. "Hmm." She curled her arms back across herself. "Check the closet. Top shelf."

"….what?"

"I know you heard me, now go on!"

He studied her in confusion a moment longer (Amelia knew because she hadn't heard him move, and considered his expression a fair guess), before footsteps sounding with increasing fade. The squeaking hinges right after belonged to none other than the little door fitted in their bedroom wall, as in need of oiling as they day they moved in. He brought back the hastily-wrapped-on-the-way-home package and let it thump lightly onto the coffee table, its bum leg wobbling with the impact.

Amelia eased over onto her other side to look, reaching to flick dangling ribbon. "Believe it or not, it's even better if you open it."

"I was getting to that." Alrick tugged at the wrapping as if afraid it might bite him, smoothing each side he pulled away. When sunlight glinted off a smooth red surface, he paused, for the barest of seconds, and then hastened to ease the rest away. When it was gone, a helmet remained in his hands. "I – Amelia! Where did you get this?"

"Oh, you know. Swiped it from someone at the market earlier."

"For some reason, I doubt that." Alrick joined her on the couch, letting her stretch her legs across his lap as he studied his new possession from every angle. "It's brand new…! Oh, no, you shouldn't have spend so much on me, at all."

"Well, your last one was certainly worn past its due. I thought you could use a nicer one this time. I may not understand the appeal of that little sport of yours, but at least I can make sure you keep your noggin safe."

"Excuse you," Alrick said, hand over heart in mock offense, "motocross is a very noble hobby."

Amelia nudged him her foot, smile creeping across her face. " _Regardless_ , I didn't pay a thing."

"Then how?"

"Well," she started, nestling into the pillow more. "You know that contest with all the advertisements around town-"

"The _eating_ contest?"

"It was first prize."

Alrick set the helmet back on the table, and sighed. "You didn't have to. And look at you now: sick and miserable!"

"A sore stomach will hardly kill me. Alrick, it was my decision, and I wanted to get it for you. You'd do the same for me at a moment's notice. It's completely worth feeling this way for a little while. Which is to say, _you_ are completely worth it, and that's my final word on the matter!"

Alrick opened his mouth, then snapped it right shut again, corners turned up in an unfightable grin. "I really don't have the words for you, some days."

"How about this: 'Amelia, you are above and beyond the world's greatest fiancee.' I think that would suffice."

"Well." Alrick steepled his fingers in thought. "There's one problem, actually."

"And what would that be?"

"I thought _I_ was the world's greatest fiance?" He leaned over and grabbed around her waist, laughing when she kicked at his legs.

"Now listen here, there is only room for a single narcissist in this house, and I'm certainly not going anywhere, so you'll have to be the one to leave now!"

"No." Alrick rested his head against her side. "I don't think I want to. And since I'm almost definitely invincible with that new helmet, good luck getting rid of me, either."

"You'd best be invincible!" Amelia lightly kicked him again, smiling all the while, before the both settled in comfortably (or as much as was possible, in Amelia's case).

Things were soft and quiet until Alrick spoke again. "In all seriousness," he said, "I was terrified, for a moment there, that box would be full of… bottles, and… blankets and such."

"You… you thought it was some cutesy way of announcing I was pregnant?" Then, in a tone perhaps even more flabbergasted: "You thought I was _pregnant_?!"

"Well I was you holding your stomach, and you kept insisting you weren't sick, per se, and it – it just seemed like a reasonable assumption at the time!"

"I'm definitely not," Amelia said, firmly.

"Yeah, there's no way we could handle that right now." Alrick righted himself again, leaning back into the cushions. "I mean… maybe eventually, but first we'd need a better place to live, better jobs, good neighborhood, so on and so forth..."

"We'll cross that bridge later." Amelia reached to squeeze his hand gently. "Let's focus on today, for now."

He squeezed back. "I think we can do that."

Then, he nudged her legs away so he could stand up. "I know rest is the best thing for you right now, but do you think a pill for acid might help?"

"I don't see that it would hurt," Amelia said. When he brought one from the kitchen cabinet, she took it dutifully while he settled back in beside. "I never want to see a pie again."

"Ah." Alrick rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you'll hate what I bought at the store today."

Amelia groaned, peeping at the bags by the front door. "Oh, no. What flavor has to go to waste?"

"Your favorite, as per usual."

The bags continued to sit there, temptingly. "...On second thought, maybe I can get over it."

She thought, later, curled against Alrick's side and nearly asleep, that she was fairly sure she could get through anything while by each others' sides. A promise they'd made when they'd first gotten enaged. When they'd rented this place, even while going on about the place they'd have together someday, spacious and homey and everything they'd ever dreamed of, ever moreso because they paid for it together. A promise they always renewed and clung when things were tough.

It was the first promise Alrick broke.

(The helmet was still there, on the top shelf, caked in mud with a deep split running down its side.

Hidden away where Amelia didn't have to think about it.

Hidden in the world she couldn't change.)

(As if that wasn't all of them.)


End file.
